A teacher with a difference

October 6, 2012

Bahaz takes no day-off, no leave for 33 yearsMd Bahaz Ali Fakir, an English teacher of a secondary school, has not taken even a day’s leave for the past 33 years, setting an example of great devotion to his profession.
Teaching at Shaheed Smrity High School and College in Tangail’s Madhupur upazila, Bahaz, 55, has been off work only on weekends and national holidays over the years, despite many difficulties along the way.
Headmaster of the school Mohammad Bazlur Rashid Khan said other teachers in the institution have followed Bahaz’s footsteps and promised to work without taking leave.
The headmaster narrated how Bahaz came to work even on September 14 — the day his mother died — after keeping the body at his yard in the morning.
“After signing the [attendance] register, Bahaz took the day’s first class and returned to his house. But surprisingly, he came back to school right after his mother’s burial and went on to take his scheduled class,” said the headmaster.
He added, “Bahaz, however, had to give in and return home at his colleagues’ insistence on the day.”
“When his father Abdul Hamid Fakir died on a Friday in 2003, Bahaz took all his scheduled classes as usual the following day,” the headmaster said.
The founder of the school, established in 1972, declared a bonus for the school staff in 1987. According to the declaration, a teacher or other staff member who has not skipped work for a single day in a year is entitled to a month’s additional salary.
“Bahaz Ali has been getting the bonus every year ever since,” said Mohammad Abdul Malek, assistant headmaster of the school and also former teacher of Bahaz. “I am really proud of my student….”
“Most of the students here are from rural areas,” said Bahaz. “And I try to serve them in the best way possible. As many as 103 students, out of 260, obtained A+ in English in the last year’s SSC examination.”
He is very popular among students, said Asma Rafia, a class-VIII student of the school. “He does not hesitate to spend some extra time and make us understand lessons in the classroom.”
Some other students said as their teacher never misses a class, they also try not to miss any.
Bahaz lives in a tin-shed house in Tengri area with his wife, a son, and two daughters.
His elder daughter Aysha Siddiqua Badhon, who passed the HSC examination last year, said, “We respect our father’s sincerity and we are proud of him.”